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Lord Nardhon Tatharphen
Lord Nardhon Tatharphen, is an Elven Wizard and current Arcane Advisor to the small kingdom of Ciral in Gras-Loond 's south. He is best known as an adventurer, scribe, navigator, historian, occultist and politician. He was second-in-command of the Ciral fleet against the Kaayven Armada in 1396. His exploits are legendary and is considered Cirals greatest hero. Since his retirement at age 350, Lord Tatharphen has dedicated his remaining years to documenting all that he has learned and has penned hundreds of books in the last century. 'Birth and early years.' Nardhon Tatharphen was born in Tavistock , Ciral though the specific date was not formally recorded. Most, including Nardhon himself, are certain the year to be 1250, at the time his namesake godfather Nardhon Annor was 2nd Earl of Shademoor at the age of 142. His parents were Laeron Boridhren, a Wizard and royal scribe, whilst his mother Celegel Maerdis was a Cleric and Sacred Librarian of the Goddess Calistria . Sometime in Nardhons youth, his mother obtained an appointment to minister to the soldiers in Cirals navy. There she was ordained deacon before being placed in charge of the Royal Library. In the year 1377, Nardhon, aged 127 was apprenticed to the Ciralian Wizard council after showing an aptitude to the arcane arts. After completing his studies in the council, the Master Wizard was so satisfied with young Nardhon’s conduct that, being unmarried and childless at his death be bequeathed his entire estate to Nardhon. He wrote a number of minor religious and arcane works dealing with various death cults while still studying. These writings would foreshadow what would later be some of Erthoria’s greatest literary works. Throughout his early adventuring career, Nardhon meticulously documented the creatures he came across, the cultures and the lands he saw in his travels. Many of these notes now stand as the definitive knowledge of the known world. 'Adventuring Career.' At age 140, Nardhon became a member of the Adventuring group the “Hallowed Fist”. He made his first voyage to Koppa-Shin in 1390, sailing with his second cousin, Dame Limel Maetharia. Nardhon was trapped by the then unknown race of "Kaayven" in port Setochi of Fort Rakemuyun for sixteen months. He escaped along with Limel. Eight months later he joined another adventuring group, named “Primo Victoria” and embarked on the first of many journeys to Tsar-Loond. He, along with his fellow adventurers, documented many of the races native to the continent and mapped much of the western coastline. Nardhon and his group stayed for more than a year, exploring and mapping the land. During a raid inland Nardhon and his group captured a small community of Orcs and their treasure, a man-sized chunk of mana crystal . Upon their return to Ciral they were hailed as heroes and all received princely rewards. In 1394 the Kaayven fleet began raiding along the east-coast of Gras-Loond, near its capital. Nardhon and “Primo Victoria” became privateers under the command of Risenler Le Llundum a Ciralian buccaneer. Over the course of months the Kaayven raids quickly escalated into what is now called the “The Battle of Fayloft Harbor”. All of Gras-Loond was flung into war and it was during this time that Nardhon would earn the title of “Lord”. It was a year into the war; Nardhon led his party, deep behind enemy lines, in an attack on a richly laden Kaayven supply ship. The strike was quick and Primo Victoria won out. Nardhon found that they had captured around 20 tons of silver and gold. With the attack leading them several days off course they set sail for a series of islands off the east coast of Tsar-Loond to rest and repair their ship. As the ship was not built to carry such loads, the gold and silver was buried on the island. (An account of this may have given rise to subsequent stories of pirates and buried treasure). Wounded, Le Llundum was captured and later beheaded in the attack. Unable to fix the boats by conventional means and running low on supplies, the sailors became downhearted, exhausted and hungry. At this point Nardhon, with the help of the party Cleric and Druid rallied the group by building a new ship powered by a water elemental. Sailing on this new ship Nardhon navigated them through the treacherous waters to where they had left their flagship. Returning to the island to retrieve the gold, they headed back to Gras-Loond. 'Knighting and the war on Kaayven.' Nardhon, Primo Victoria and 59 remaining crew aboard the newly named “Gozreh’s Trident” sailed into Fayloft Harbour along with a rich cargo of spices and captured Kaayven treasures. The Empresses half-share of the cargo surpassed the rest of the crown's income for that entire year. Nardhon was hailed as the first Gras-Loondian to circumnavigate the Erthoria. The Empress ordered all written accounts of Nardhon’s voyage to be considered classified information, and its participants sworn to silence on pain of death; she intended to keep Nardhon’s activities away from the eyes of the Kaayvens. Nardhon presented the Empress with a jewel token commemorating the circumnavigation. Taken as a prize off the Bloosch-Get-Wasser coast of Koppa-Shin it was made of enameled gold and bore a mana crystal and a ship with an ebony hull. For her part, the Empress gave Nardhon a jewel with her portrait, an unusual gift to bestow upon a commoner, and one that Nardhon still sports proudly. The Empress of Gras-Loond awarded Nardhon a knighthood aboard “Gozreh’s Trident, the dubbing being performed by a Estetum diplomat, The Chancellor, Baron Iatynne who was negotiating for the Empress to marry the King of Estetums brother Tirourn, Duke of Bythatra . During this time, the Empires spies uncovered the horrifying truth of the Kaayvenians. They were a race that came from a distant planet beyond the world of Erthoria. With the new found technology of binding elementals to their fleet, thanks to Nardhon, ships were made ready to take the fight to the Kaayven home world. Nardhon was granted second-in-command of the Ciralian fleet, joining the great Imperial Armada, he set off on what would be his greatest and last adventure. The war on Kaayven was long and bloody, less than half of the Imperial Armada returned. In the time it took to reach the world, go to war and then return to Erthoria, over a hundred years had passed. At last though, a truce was declared and the Empire had won. On his return to Erthoria in 1496, Nardhon was given the title of "Lord" and several land holdings in Tsar-Loond. In the year 1600, Nardhon became the Mayor of Fayloft and has remained a Member of Parliament in Ciral ever since. It was at this time he retired from adventuring and focused on his writings. Since then, Nardhon has established "The Talespinners League ", a loose organisation dedicated to unearthing and documenting ancient lore and the study of various races and cultures for his growing literary works. He is also the owner of the only publishing house in Gras-Loond, the "Victoria Press", which supplies Erthorias popular "Bulletin of the Court " news sheets Category:Characters Category:History Category:Character Index